Artificial-leather article



R. A. FESSENDEN.

ARTIFICIAL LEATHER ARTICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB- I5. 1920.

3 57 449 Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Hal/ms 4 INV EN TOR.

WITNESS:

7 '0 all whom it may concern V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTIFICIAL-LEATHER ARTICLE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 15,. 1920. Serial No. 366,660.

Be it known that I REGINALD A. FnssnN- DEN, of Chestnut Hill, in thecounty of Mid'dlesex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented a new and useful improvement in Artificial-Leather Articles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to methods and apparatus for making artificialleather and artificial leather .articles, such as shoes, automobilecoverings, and the like.

My invention has for its object improvement in the quality of such goodsand more particularly improved methods and means for insuring adhesionbetween the artificial leather coating and the backingto which it isapplied and means for making better joints between the different piecesof artificial leather composing the article and thepreventing of theraveling of the edges of the pieces of artificial leather and in generalproducing a better article.

Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 illustrate partly diagrammatically suitablemethods and means for carrying out' my invention.

Artificial leathers are, as a rule, formed by applying a coating of somematerial having theiappearance of leather, generally a nitro-cellulosecompound, to a backing of some fibrous material, generally cotton clothor felt. One of the chief difficulties in producing durable articles ofthis type of artificial leather, such as shoes and similar articles, islack of" adhesion between the coating and the backing.

I overcome this difiiculty by tufting,lor quilting or stitching thefibrous backing in the manner shown in Fig. 1, where 13 is the backingof cotton cloth and 11, 11, 11,11 are loops of thread, referably cotton,and

tufted at the end as s own.

When the coating 21 is applied to' -cthe outer surface of the backing 13itengages with the tufts and adheres thereto.

, In order toinsure still more complete adhesion of the backing I preferto form the tufted or quilted material of a substance partly soluble inthe coating. For example, if the coating is a nitro-cellulose compounddissolved in a suitable solvent, Iprefer to form the tufts 11, 11, 11,11 or thread 12, 12 of nitrated cotton thread, which is stitched intothe backing 13 andon the coating 21 being applied to the outer surfaceof 'when shoes are made out of artificial leather of the coated backing.type the pieces of leather composing the shoe have been cut from alarge piece of artificial leather, thereby leaving the edges, of thebacking exposed and liable to raveling of the backing and chipping ofi'of the edges of the coating, thereby producing bad appearance andslipping of the stitching.

I overcome this by a new method'i. e. I first of all cut out pieces ofbacking of the same shape that the pieces of artificial leather areformed when made up into' the shoe and quilt the edges as shown at 19,Fig. 2, or stitch them as shown at 20, Fig. 2. I then load a largenumber of such pieces on a moving table made of non-adhesive material,such as soapstone or slightly oiled brass, and apply the backing to allof these pieces, thereby producing leather parts which are not liable toravel or chip at the edges.

p I also prefer to quilt by tufts or threads nitrated cotton 'slichportions of the leather pieces as are liable to bending; for example asshown at 21,"Fig'. 2, across the toe piece of the leather, 18 being theportion forming the toe, or to Weave the backing with say twenty per,cent. of nitrated threads. i

I 'A third difficulty which is met with is the fact that even where theadhesion is good the coating, being less elastic than the backing, isliable to crack on'be'nding, as shown in Fig. 3 where the backing 13 hasbeen bent and the coating 21 has cracked as shown.

I prefer to use this material, however,-

without its being cut down the center, as shown in. Fig. 4 where 14 isone backing of I overcome this by using a backing having 1 two neutralaxes, such for example as the. material known as uncut double web cottonplush or velvet in which two pieces of velvet Patented Nov; 2, 1920.

A seconddifliculty has been the' fact'that '65 which in this case is theupper-surface, it

will be seen that when the backing is bent the coating 21 will not bestretched in the manner shown in Fig. 3 and will therefore remainadherent because one of the neutral axes, i. e. the neutral axis formedby the back 14, is directly adjacent to the coat V ing 21.

I have found by experiment and test that this arrangementgives very goodresults and multiplies the life of the material many times.

The fourthrdifliculty is the'maklng of suitable joints between thedifierent piecesofj leather forming the shoe. I have found that usinguncut double web cotton plush or vel vet overcomes this difliculty,since 'if the edges be quilted as shown at 16, Fig. 4, or

stitched, as shown at 17, Fig. 4, the edges are compressed as shown sothat when two pieces are laid side by side and stitched together thejoint may be made substantially SIIlOOthydll to the compression of thepile and the subsequent diminution of thickness at the edge.

By these means I am able to produce a satisfactory artificialleathershoe and satisfac-- tory articles of similar character.

After coating, the ieces of artificial leather are preferably pierced bynumerous minute needles so a". to provide for satisfactory ventilationand the inner side of the backing is preferably treated with boracicacid-or similar-antiseptic material.

What I claim as my invention is 1. An artificial leather comprising acoating and a backing and stitches inserted in the backing and incontact with the coating, such stitches being formed of a materialuniting integrally with the coating.

7 2. An artificial leather comprising a soluble coating and a backingand stitches inserted in the backing and in contact with the coating,said stitches being soluble in the solvent of the coating.

3. The method of making shoes from artificial leather comprising acoating and a backing which consists in first cutting the backing toshape, then stitching it around the edges, and then applying-thecoating, whereby the piece of artificial leather is prevgnted fromraveling and chipping at the e ges.

4. An artificial leather comprising a coat ing and a backing, saidbacking consisting of a material having two neutral axes filamentarilyconnected so as to be relatively shiftable, said coating being appliedto one of said neutral axes.

5. An artificial leather comprising a soluble coating andca backing,said backing containing a small percentage of threads of a materialsoluble in the solvent of the coating.

REGINALD A. FESSENDEN.

